Man Jailed For Sex Offences In Library

A sex offender from Peterborough who used library computers to look up Doctor Who websites and search for pictures of young girls has been jailed.

Richard Burke, 38, of Wesleyan Road, admitted to using the computers to search the internet at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (10 October) and was jailed for three months for breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

The order banned Burke from using any device capable of accessing the internet unless he could present it to a police officer when asked. Burke was also prevented from communicating with under-18s online.

Officers from the force’s public protection unit visited Burke’s home on 19 August. He confessed to officers he had been visiting his local library on an almost daily basis and using the computers to search eBay, look-up Doctor Who sites and use Google to find images of young girls.

DC Rob Hutchings said:

"Burke was visiting the library several times a week to search for images of girls under 10. By failing to tell police officers about his private search sessions, Burke knew he was breaking a court order.

"Breaching a sexual harm prevention order is a serious offence. These orders exist to protect vulnerable children and the wider community.

I hope this sentence sends a clear message to those who would seek to do children harm.”

Introduced in 2015, sexual harm prevention orders are made by the magistrates’ or crown courts. They are designed to prevent someone convicted or suspected of a sexual offence from taking a particular action, like volunteering with children or using a computer without permission from the authorities.

For more about spotting the signs of child sexual exploitation, visit: www.cambs.police.uk/childprotection

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